Influence of Position and Power Output on Upper Limb Kinetics in Cycling

Costes, Antony; Turpin, Nicolas A.; Villeger, David; Moretto, Pierre; Watier, Bruno

doi:10.1123/jab.2014-0295

Cited by 8 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 32 publications

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“…Dahlquist, Leisz, and Finkelstein reported findings collected from club riders that support the pattern of the knee and low back being the most common areas 17 . These findings are further supported by a published abstract from an oral presentation, reporting the low back and knee as the most common areas reported in a survey of 15 non-professional cycling clubs 18 .…”

Section: Comparison Of Nontraumatic Overuse Injury By Rider Skill Levelsupporting

confidence: 63%

Comparing Traditional and Novel Methods in Determining Reach in Bicycle Fitting

Williams¹

2021

ijsshr

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In bicycle fitting, the literature has focus historically on the saddle height and knee flexion angle. There has been little focus in the literature on postural reach; this is the distance between the saddle and handlebars. Currently, this distance is determined by a specialist, a bicycle fitter, and is generally based on a trunk, shoulder, and elbow angle; however, it is primarily based on what "looks right" to the fitter and "feels right" to the client, rather than using anthropometric measurement. This study examined whether there was a relationship between anthropometric measures and postural reach, or if ideal fit should continue to be determined by a trial-and-error process, informed by expert opinion and client feedback. This study found that there was a moderate correlation r(9) = 0.663, p < .05 between the upper extremity measure and postural reach and a fair correlation r(9)= 0.296, p < .05 between the trunk measure and postural reach. A significant regression was found between the upper extremity length and the postural reach F(1, 9) = 7.06. The finding of this study does suggest that there is a relationship between the anthropometric measures and the postural reach. However, due to the low number of data points,the external validity may be somewhat limited, and it is suggested that the study be only used as a guide for future exploration.

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Section: Comparison Of Nontraumatic Overuse Injury By Rider Skill Levelsupporting

confidence: 63%

Comparing Traditional and Novel Methods in Determining Reach in Bicycle Fitting

Williams¹

2021

ijsshr

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“…Previous studies asked whether the upper limbs could transfer energy to the lower limbs via the hips. It has been shown that the power developed by the upper limbs is no more than approximately 3% to 5% of the crank power output [36,52]. Their contribution is therefore very modest.…”

Section: Seat and Handlebar Forces And The Role Of The Upper Armsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Therefore, the muscle power (force × velocity) is maximal at an optimal contraction velocity. An easy way to perform this test while cycling is to fix the resistive load at different intensities and measure the maximal pedaling rate during short sprints [52]. The result is a linear relationship between the angular velocity (rad/s) and the torque (N•m), which can be used to compute the power output.…”

Section: Measures Of Muscle Mechanical Performancementioning

confidence: 99%

“…The result is a linear relationship between the angular velocity (rad/s) and the torque (N•m), which can be used to compute the power output. The relation between angular velocity and power has an inverted U shape with a single maximum [52]. The cadence at which maximum power is reached is typically above 90-110 RPM (Figure 2) and depends on individual characteristics.…”

Section: Measures Of Muscle Mechanical Performancementioning

confidence: 99%

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Cycling Biomechanics and Its Relationship to Performance

Turpin¹,

Watier

2020

Applied Sciences

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State-of-the-art biomechanical laboratories provide a range of tools that allow precise measurements of kinematic, kinetic, motor and physiologic characteristics. Force sensors, motion capture devices and electromyographic recording measure the forces exerted at the pedal, saddle, and handlebar and the joint torques created by muscle activity. These techniques make it possible to obtain a detailed biomechanical analysis of cycling movements. However, despite the reasonable accuracy of such measures, cycling performance remains difficult to fully explain. There is an increasing demand by professionals and amateurs for various biomechanical assessment services. Most of the difficulties in understanding the link between biomechanics and performance arise because of the constraints imposed by the bicycle, human physiology and musculo-skeletal system. Recent studies have also pointed out the importance of evaluating not only output parameters, such as power output, but also intrinsic factors, such as the cyclist coordination. In this narrative review, we present various techniques allowing the assessment of a cyclist at a biomechanical level, together with elements of interpretation, and we show that it is not easy to determine whether a certain technique is optimal or not.

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“…Moreover, in relation to the upper limbs, while the cyclist is sitting on the bike, his arms act as force absorbers, resulting in the momentary imbalance typical of the pedaling gesture (cycling requires alternating right and left leg forces on the crank) [ 32 ]. In addition, considering the upper limbs and the contact with the handlebars, the force production that could be transferred to the lower limbs through the hip is only 3–5% of the crank power output [ 33 ]; however, the upper limb muscles facilitate reaching the highest power outputs, providing stable support for the action of the legs [ 34 ]. Regarding the handlebar height, some researchers have demonstrated that different handle heights change the rider’s trunk inclination and indirectly influence the stress on different parts of the rider’s body.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Effect of Handlebar Height and Bicycle Frame Length on Muscular Activity during Cycling: A Pilot Study

Conceição¹,

Milheiro²,

Parraça

et al. 2022

IJERPH

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The cycling literature is filled with reports of electromyography (EMG) analyses for a better understanding of muscle function during cycling. This research is not just limited to performance, as the cyclist’s goal may be rehabilitation, recreation, or competition, so a bicycle that meets the rider’s needs is essential for a more efficient muscular activity. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to understand the contribution of the activity of each of the following muscles: TD (trapezius descending), LD (latissimus dorsi), GM (gluteus maximus), and AD (anterior deltoid) in response to different bicycle-rider systems (handlebar height; bicycle frame length) and intensities in a bicycle equipped with a potentiometer. Surface EMG signals from muscles on the right side of the body were measured. A general linear model test was used to analyze the differences between muscle activation in the test conditions. Effect sizes were calculated using a partial Eta2 (η2). The level of significance was set at 0.05. Muscle activation of different muscles differs, depending on the cycling condition (Pillai’s trace = 2.487; F (36.69) = 9.300; p < 0.001. η2 = 0.958), mostly during low intensities. In high intensities, one specific pattern emerges, with a greater contribution of GM and TD and weaker participation of LD and AD, enhancing the cycling power output.

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Influence of Position and Power Output on Upper Limb Kinetics in Cycling

Cited by 8 publications

References 32 publications

Comparing Traditional and Novel Methods in Determining Reach in Bicycle Fitting

Comparing Traditional and Novel Methods in Determining Reach in Bicycle Fitting

Cycling Biomechanics and Its Relationship to Performance

The Effect of Handlebar Height and Bicycle Frame Length on Muscular Activity during Cycling: A Pilot Study

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